METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ADAPTIVE FEATURE OF INTEREST COLOR MODEL PARAMETERS ESTIMATION

• US 20100322300A1
• Filed: 03/18/2008
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Li, Zhen, Gomilla, Cristina, Lu, Xiaoan
• Application Number:
  US12/735,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20100322300A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/240.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20076 Probabilistic image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30088 Skin; Dermal
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/90 Determination of colour characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/162 using pixel segmentation or colour matching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/115 Selection of the code volume for a coding unit prior to coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/14 Coding unit complexity, e.g. amount of activity or edge presence estimation H04N19/146 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/17 the unit being an image region, e.g. an object
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/186 the unit being a colour or a chrominance component
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding

Abstract

A method and apparatus for adaptive feature of interest color model parameters estimation are provided. The apparatus includes a feature of interest color model parameters estimator and a feature of interest detector. The feature of interest color model parameters estimator is for extracting at least one set of pixels from at least one image. The at least one set of pixels corresponds to a feature of interest. For each of the at least one set of pixels, the feature of interest color model parameters estimator models color components of pixels in the at least one set with statistical models, and estimates feature of interest color model parameters based on the modeled color components to obtain at least one estimated feature of interest color model. The feature of interest detector is for detecting feature of interest pixels from the at least one set of pixels using the at least one estimated feature of interest color model.

Claims

1. An apparatus for color detection, comprising:

an estimator for extracting a set of pixels from an image, the set of pixels corresponding to a feature of interest, said estimator operative to model color components of pixels in the set of pixels with statistical models, and estimate parameters based on the modeled color components to obtain an estimated feature of interest color model; and

a detector for detecting pixels from the set of pixels using the estimated color model.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image is a portion of a video.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said estimator estimates the parameters to also obtain a non-feature of interest color model, the non-feature of interest color model being modeled as a Gaussian mixture.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the estimated feature of interest color model is modeled as a Gaussian distribution.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the parameters corresponding to the estimated feature of interest color model that is modeled as a Gaussian distribution, are estimated with pixels in a pre-selected range.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the pre-selected range is based on a pre-determined percentage of feature of interest pixels in a feature of interest database.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the parameters are chosen based upon a minimum difference between an estimated V color component and an estimated U color component.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the parameters are estimated using a Gaussian mixture model.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the parameters are estimated using multiple model parameter estimation methods.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is utilized in a video encoder.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said video encoder encodes the plurality of regions into a bitstream compliant with the International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission Moving Picture Experts Group-4 Part 10 Advanced Video Coding standard/International Telecommunication Union, Telecommunication Sector H.264 recommendation.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said video encoder encodes the plurality of regions into a bitstream compliant with the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers Video Codec-1 Standard.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feature of interest comprises at least one of skin, grass, and sky.

10. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the parameters estimated using the multiple model parameters estimation methods are jointly estimated to obtain final estimated parameters.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said estimator weights a mean of the final estimated parameters using arithmetic weighting.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said estimator weights a mean of the final estimated parameters using geometric weighting.

17. A method for color detection, comprising:

extracting a set of pixels from an image,

modeling a color component of the set of pixels with a statistical model to generate a modeled color component;

estimating a parameter based on the modeled color component to obtain a first color model; and

detecting pixels from the set of pixels using the first color model.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said estimating step further comprises the step of estimating the parameters to obtain a second color model, the second color model being modeled as a Gaussian mixture.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein first color model is modeled as a Gaussian distribution.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein parameters are estimated with pixels in a pre-selected range.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the pre-selected range is based on a pre-determined percentage of feature of interest pixels in a feature of interest database.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the parameters are chosen based upon a minimum difference between an estimated V color component and an estimated U color component.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the feature of interest color model parameters are estimated using a Gaussian mixture model.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the feature of interest color model parameters are estimated using multiple model parameter estimation methods.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the feature of interest color model parameters estimated using the multiple model parameters estimation methods are jointly estimated to obtain final estimated parameters.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein a mean of the final estimated parameters is weighted using arithmetic weighting.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein a mean of the final estimated parameters is weighted using geometric weighting.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein the method is utilized in a video encoder.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the video encoder encodes the plurality of regions into a bitstream compliant with the International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission Moving Picture Experts Group-4 Part 10 Advanced Video Coding standard/International Telecommunication Union, Telecommunication Sector H.264 recommendation.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the video encoder encodes the plurality of regions into a bitstream compliant with the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers Video Codec-1 Standard.

31. The method of claim 17, wherein the pixels comprise at least one of skin, grass, and sky.